Time switch



F. LUX

TIME SWITCH Nov. 12., 1929.

I Filed April 19 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR f-ede ic/r Luz' BYATTORNEY F. LUX

TIME swITcH 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 19 INVENTOR edefl Ck L ua:BY

ATTORNEY Patented Novo 12, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICKLUX, 0F WATERBURY,

CONNEGTCUT, ASSGNOR T0 THE LUX CLOCK MANU- NECTICUT TIME SW'ECH Applatllfiled .April 19,

This invention relates to time switches, and more particularly to a timeswitch employing a spring-actuated toggle switch and a clock workmechanism.

One object of this invention is to provide a time switch of the abovenature in which the driving power for the clock work mechanism isderived from the spring which operates the switch.

A further object is to provide a time switch of the above nature inwhich the clock work mechanism has a friction-slippage connection withthe drivingl mechanism.

A. further object is to provide a time switch of the above nature havingmanually operated means for setting it to operate at any predeterminedtime.

A further'object is to provide a device of this nature which will besimple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy -to manipulate,compact, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view there has been illustrated on theaccompanying drawings one form in which the invention may beconveniently embodied in practice.

Fig. 1 represents a top View of the time switch showing the parts ininoperative position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top view of the same showing the parts inoperative position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the device taken along the line 3-3 ofFig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the same with the top movement plateremoved, showing ythe interior mechanism in operative position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 4 showing theparts in inoperative position.

Fig. 6 is a perspective fragmentary view of the switch member and aportion of the upper movement plate.

The present invention is particularly adapted for use on electrictoasters, but may also be employed for controlling X-ray treatmentdevices, egg boiling devices, electric lamps, valves, photographicexposure devices, bombs, alarm devices, etc.

The present invention is similar to that dis- 1928. Serial No. 271,341.

closed in a later application by the same inventor, Ser. 396,093, filedSeptember 30, 1929, which is a continuation in part of the presentapplication.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10indicates a switch of any standard type having a toggle-operated contactmember 10n adapted to connect a pair of bindin posts 10b located onopposite faces of sai switch 10.

The switch 10 is provided with an arm 1()bb adapted to be actuated in aclockwise direction by a spring 10c whenever the switch is closed. rl`hearm 10bb engages a pin 11 projecting from a slot 16a in front of themovement plate 16 and mounted on a short arm 11a of a drive lever 12,said drive lever having a long handle 12a extending beyond the edge ofthe frame of the clock. The drive lever 12 is loosely mounted upon astepped collar member 13, the latter forming a bearingfor a main shaft-14 having one end journaled in a rear movement plate 15 and its otherond journaled within the collar 13, which in turn is fixed in said frontmovement plate 16.

The drive lever 12 is provided at a point opposite from the arm 11a witha second short arm 17 provided with a pin 18 upon which is mounted anescapement pawl member 19. The escapement member 19 is provided on itsrear end with a tooth 20 adapted to engage a shoulder 21 of a catchplate 22, said catch plate being rigidly secured to said shaft 14 andhaving a curved periphery 23 in which is a locking recess 24.

Provision is also made of a cam member 25 loosely mounted on the steppedcollar member 13 and frictionally held in adjusted position thereon bymeans of a leaf-spring member 26 secured to said collar member 13.

The cam member is provided with an elongated arm 27 having a settinghandle 28 projecting upwardly therefrom through aL slot 29 in the frontmovement plate 16. In order to permit the cam member 25 to be accuratelyadjusted in any desired position, a scale 30 is provided on the frontmovement plate 16 adjacent the slot 29.

The escapement pawl member 19 is provided with a front tooth 31 adaptedto ride over the curved edge 23 of the catch plate 22, belng pressedthereagainst at all times by a coiled spring 32. The escapement pawlmember 19 is also provided adjacent its front tooth 3l with an upwardlyprojecting pin 33 adapted to be engaged by the cam member 25 for.llfting the front tooth 31 out of the locking recess 24 whenever the cammember 25 has reached ythe releasing point under the operation of theclock train generally indicated by the numeral 34.

-In order to connect the main shaft 14 with the main wheel 35 of theclock train 34, provision is made of a collar 36 rigidly mounted on saidshaft 14. The collar 36 has secured thereto a pair of opposed inwardlycurved friction plates 37 which are adapted to resiliently engage theopposite sides of said main wheel 35.

Under normal conditions, when the switch spring 1.0c is unwinding, i. e.when the drive lever 10b is moving in aclockwise direction as shown bythe arrows in Figs. 2 and 4, the pressure of the friction plates 37 uponthe main wheel 35 will prevent slippage between said plates and saidwheel. When, however, the handle 12a of the drive lever is moved in acounterclockwise direction, as shown by the arrow in Figy5, for windingup the spring 10, slippage will occur between the friction plates 37 andthe main wheel 35 allowing said spring 10c to be wound up until thehandle l2a has reached the limit of its motion.

In operation, the cam member 25 will first be adjusted by moving thesetting handle 28 to the desired point on the scale 30. The drive leverhandle 12a will then be grasped by the operator and moved downwardly asfar as it will go, thereby placing the switch spring 10c under tension.In unwinding, it will be understood that said tension will betransmitted to the clock train 34 through the pin 11, the drive lever12, the escapement l pawl member 19, the catch plate 22, and the mainshaft 14. L

During the winding operation just described, the front tooth 31 of theescapement pawl member will rise over the curved surface of the catchplate`22 and will engage behind the locking recess 24 in said plate.Soon thereafter, the rear tooth 20 will engage the shoulder 21 on thecatch plate 22 and cause said main shaft 14 to be rotated.l During thisrotation, the friction-plates 37 will slip over the surface of the mainwheel 35 which is held from rotation itself by the clock train 34.

Just before the drive lever 12 has reached the limit of its rotativewinding movement, the toggle mechanism of the switch 10 will come intoaction and close the circuit through the electric toaster or otherpower-consuming unit. When the driving spring 10c has been completelywound up, the operator will release. the handle 12, whereupon thetimekeeplng mechanism 34 will begin to operate under the driving forceof the switch spring 10c causing the drive lever 12 and the catch plate22 to rotate in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in Fig.4. The clock train 34 will regulate the rate of the unwinding movementof the drive lever 12 until the' cam 25 comes into engagement, after thepredetermined time interval, with the pin 33 on the esca-pement member19. The front tooth 31 of said member will thereby be lifted anddisengaged' from the locking recess 24 of the catch plate 22, thusIpermitting the switch spring 10c to instantly move the drive lever 12the remaining distance backto its original position, suddenly throwingolf'the current from the toaster or other device. The tension in thespring 10 being thus released, the clock work mechanism 34 will stop.

While the driving power for operating the clock work is herein disclosedas a toggle switch spring, it will be understood that the invention isnot limited thereto, but any other exterior source of power may beemployed within the spirit of the invention.

While there has been disclosed in this speciication one form in whichthe invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form isshown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention isnot to be limited to the specific disclosure but may be modified andembodied in various other forms without departing from its principles.

In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodimentscoming Within' the scope of the -following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention,

what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure LettersPatent, is:

1. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable on the same axis as saidmain shaft, said drive lever being pressed by the spring of said switch,means for rotatably connecting said drive lever to said main shaft fortransmitting the driving force of said spring to said time-keepingmechanism, and means responsive to the operation of said time-keepingmechanism when said spring-has unwound a predetermined amount for oening said switch and removing t-he tension rom said spring.

2. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable on the same axis as saidmain shaft, said drive lever being pressed by the spring of said switch,means for rotatably connecting said drive lever to said main shaft fortransmitting the driving force of said spring to said time-keeping Amechanism, and means responsive tothe operation of said time-keepingmechanism when said spring has unwound a predetermined power consumingnism having a tion to said drive lever,

mamario amount for disengaging the connection between said drive leverand said main shaft for opening said switch.

3. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable on the axis of said mainshaft, a catch plate rigidly mounted on said main shaft, an escapementpawl pivoted on said drive lever for detachably connecting said drivelever with said catch plate, said drive lever being actuated by thespring'of said switch for transmitting the driving force of said springthrough said escapement pawl and catch plate to said main shaft, andmeans responsive to the operation of said time-keeping mechanism fordisengaging said escapement pawl from said catch plate, thereby openingsaid switch and deenergizing said spring. f

4. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable on the axis of said mainshaft, a slotted catch plate rigidly mounted on said main shaft, anescapement pawlpivoted on said drive lever for detachably connectingsaiddrive lever with said catch plate, said drive lever being actuated bythe spring of said switch for transmitting the driving force of saidspring through said escapement pawl and catch plate to said main shaft,and means responsive to the operation of said time-keeping mechanism fordisengaging said escapement pawl from said catch plate thereby openingsaid switch and deenergizing said spring.

5. In a main shaft, a spring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable onthe axis of said main shaft/,a catch plate rigidly mounted on saidanainshaft, a spring-actuated escapement pawl pivoted on said drive lever fordet-achably connecting said drive lever with said catch plate, saiddrive lever being actuated by the spring of said switch for transmittingthe driving force of said spring through said escapement pawl and catchplate to said main shaft, and means responsive to the operation of sa`idtime-keeping mechanism for disengaging said escapement pawl from saidcatch platey thereby opening said switch and deenergizing said spring.

6. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever` rotatable on the axis of saidmain shaft, means rigidly mounted on said main shaft having a detachableconnecsaid drive lever being driven by the spring of said switch, andmeans responsive to a predetermined operation of said time-keepingmechanism for releasing said detachable connection to open .said switchand deenergize said spring.

7. In atime switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotime switch, a time-keepingmechashaft, and a main wheel,

tatable on the axis of said main shaft, means rigidly mounted on saidmain shaft having a detachable connection to said drive lever, saiddrive lever being driven by the spring of said switch, means responsiveto a predetermined operation of said time-keeping mechanism forreleasing said detachable connection to open said switch and deenergizesaid spring, and friction-slipping means for connecting said main shaftwith said main wheel for permitting said time switch to be manuallywound up.

8. In a time switch, a time-keeping mecha.- nism having a maink shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable on the axis of said mainshaft, means rigidly mounted on said main shaft having a detachableconnection to said drive lever, a setting member mounted on the axis ofsaid main shaft for disengaging said detachable connection after apredetermined operation of said time-keeping mechanism and therebyopening said switch.

9. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatableon the axis of said mainshaft, means rigidly mounted on said main shaft having a detachableconnection to said drive lever, a setting cam mounted on the axis ofsaid main shaft for disengaging said detachable connection after apredetermined operation of said timekeeping mechanism and therebyopening said switch.

10. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable on the axis of said mainshaft, means rigidly mounted on said main shaft having a detachableconnection to said drive lever, a setting cam member mounted on the axisof said main shaft, said cam member being positioned in alinement withsaid detachable connection for breaking it after a predeterminedoperation of said time-keeping mechanism and thereby opening saidswitch.

11. In a time switch, anism having a main shaft, a spring-actuatedswitch, a drive lever rotatable on the axis -of said main shaft, saiddrive lever being pressed by the spring of said switch, means for4rotatably connecting said drive lever to said main shaft fortransmitting the driving force of said spring to said timekeepingmechanism, and means responsive to the operation of said time-keepingmechanism when said spring has unwound a predeterminedv amount foropening said switch and -removing the tension from said spring, saiddrive lever having a manually-operated handle for winding said switchspring.

12. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable on the axis of said mainshaft, means rigidly mounted a time-keeping mechi ated switch, a drivelever rotatable on the axis of said main shaft, means rigidly mounted onsaid main shaft having a detachable connection to said drive lever, asetting member mounted on the axis of said main shaft for disengagingsaid detachable connection after a predetermined operation of saidtime-keeping mechanism and thereby opening said switch, andspring-pressed friction-slipping means for rotatably connecting said cammember to said main shaft.

14. In a time switch, a time-keeping mechanism having a main shaft, aspring-actuated switch, a drive lever rotatable on the -aXis of saidmain shaft, means rigidly mounted on said main shaft having a detachableconnection to said drive lever, a setting member mounted on the axis ofsaid main shaft for disengaging said detachable connection after apredetermined operation of said timekeeping mechanism and therebyopening said switch, and friction-slipping means for rotatablyconnecting said cam member to f said main shaft.

In testimony whereof, have axed my

